The Lean White Russian and Black Cow Vodka January 13, 2025

What's up peeps!!! Hope the new year 2025 is working for you so far. In trying to write without having to drink (too much😉,) I'm going to attempt to check out recipes for drinks and reviews for beers that I come across. One such recipe comes from the November/December 2024 issue of Men's Health magazine. Entitled the Lean White Russian, the cocktail describes the way to make a "healthier" version of the cocktail made famous by "The Dude" played by Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski.  

For this cocktail, the ingredients are pretty straightforward: Vodka, Kahlua and Heavy Cream/Half and Half/Milk of some sort. The Russian part comes from the Vodka. The White from the Cream. How does the Kahlua fit in? Well, let's go down the cocktail history rabbit hole. 

The origins of this cocktail lay not in Mother Russia, or their Cold War rivals the United States. No folks, according to cocktail history, the White Russian was created in the country of Belgium to honor a diplomat. According to the post White Russian Recipe from Vinepair.com:

The drink was conceived in 1949 when Gustave Tops, a Belgian barman, created the cocktail, along with its sister cocktail, the black Russian– a White Russian without any cream - at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels in honor of Perle Mesta, then U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.

Most obviously, Belgium is not Russia, so the drink doesn't take its name from its country of origin. It instead inherited Russia in the name because vodka is the main ingredient.

The magazine profile lists the following recipe for their Lite White Russian:

I've seen the recipe with equal parts vodka and Kahlua/coffee liqueur. Either way, the cocktail is delicious. Especially if you have ulcer and want to continue drinking without aggravating said ulcer. But I digress. Back to the magazine recipe. 

The recipe lists three different vodka's that are recommended. Two are from Smirnoff. I'll bypass those. The third one is the one that caught my attention. Give it a look:

A Vodka made from cow's milk? Well shit this caught my attention. Who came up with this idea. Luckily their website is quite informative. Black Cow Vodka is made in West Dorset, which is located in the Southeastern England. Here is how they describe it:

Black Cow is the world’s first Pure Milk Vodka. Made in West Dorset using the milk from grass-grazed cows. Using milk as our only source ingredient is what makes Black Cow so smooth.

Now that is cool. But what is even cooler is how they don't let anything go to waste when it comes to their milk production. Here is some more info:

At Black Cow we know milk is precious, so we don’t waste a drop. It starts with separating the milk into curds and whey. 

The curds make the cheese – including Black Cow Deluxe Cheddar – but, often, the whey ends up going to waste. We take that whey and, using a secret distilling process, turn it into the ‘world’s smoothest vodka’. So smooth you can drink it till the cows come home.

The idea came from Black Cow co-founders, friends and neighbors Archie and Jacob. I have to admit, this is one ingenious idea that really takes the idea of not letting anything go to waste to a higher level AND making money from it. Bravo!!!

Has anyone had a taste of their vodka? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments box. Oh, and before I forget. How can I do a post about a White Russian and not show the Dude making it at his home bar with the 37th President of the United States Richard Nixon bowling in the background.

Here's to your health

Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking,

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